After reading testimonials regarding Large Format workshops on the internet, I chose a Charles P. Farmer workshop in Zion that ended last week. In appreciation for hearing feedback from others that helped me make my decision, here are a few thoughts on my experience.
First, a little about the skill level I started from. I had exposed approximately 10 images on two different cameras before taking this workshop, and had received my Toho 4x5 only days before I left for Zion. While I have done a lot of reading, and received some basic instruction from a few friends, I was still very uncertain and clumsy with the film and the camera. While this workshop revealed how much I yet have to learn about exposure, I was relatively comfortable with exposure as I have been shooting medium format for about 4 years. I shoot color transparency film.
Workshop Format The workshop was well designed. It balanced short lectures with morning and afternoon shoots in sites throughout Zion National Park. The evening programs were a combination of additional lectures on Creativity, a review of participant portfolios (feedback optional) and a look at some outstanding black and white work of Chuck and Dick Garrod (a student of Ansel Adams, and a friend and contemporary of Brett Weston). Early afternoon lectures addressed Optics, Camera Movements, and Logistics. The morning and mid-afternoon shooting, and the early afternoon and evening lecture schedule left little time for other activities (I was too tired each night to make it to the Driftwood Lodge hot tub). My one regret, is that I did not allow for a few additional days after the workshop to continue shooting in the Park.
Chuck’s personal style, and therefore that of the workshop as a whole, is very laid back. Students could attend lectures or location shoots as they saw fit. (How many times can you hear a lecture on camera movements?) One morning, in lieu of going with the main group to another site, I chose to hike up the Narrows section of the Virgin River with a few other students, something I have longed to do for a long time.
Instructor Attitudes I might have just as easily titled this section, Instructor Philosophy, as Chuck emphasizes that he wants to pass on what he knows to others and to make the learning process as easy as possible. From the beginning, Chuck, Dick and John (the other assistant) let everyone know that they were there to assist your learning. As a novice photographer, I felt that any of them was available to me on an as needed basis. At different times, I received assistance from all three. I did not see an instructor expose any film until toward the week’s end, by which time everyone knew that you only had to ask to receive assistance. And even then, their own shooting occurred only after they were certain everyone else was well situated.
Chuck and Dick were willing to review participant portfolios one-on-one – an offer I took advantage of by meeting with each one separately. The personal feedback I received was very helpful technically, and I felt encouraged by hearing what I was doing that worked well. Additionally, at the workshop’s conclusion, Chuck made it clear that he is available as a resource at any point after the workshop. A service that others I spoke with attested to having used.
Additional Observations Perhaps the biggest surprise was the skill level of the other participants and their willingness to share knowledge, and even equipment (filters, lenses, meters, etc.). A large majority of the participants in this workshop had attended other Charles P. Farmer workshops, with a number of them attending more than 4 or 5. This contributed greatly to a strong collegial, even family, atmosphere. At times, it felt like a photographic college reunion. The barbecue on the last night just seemed an extension of the camaraderie developed throughout the week.
One hallmark of Chuck’s workshops is that spouses can attend without charge. This was a godsend for me as it allowed my wife to come along. She attended several of the lectures and we actually had conversations about photography without her eyes glazing over. Her observation was that it helped her appreciate my passion for photography, and she said that she had an outstanding time hiking along and joining in on the shoots and visiting with some of the other spouses. She even received assistance from some of the others on how to use the digital camera we had just purchased. The result was that we each felt that we had gone on vacation together.
I felt a bit of a heretic shooting color transparency film among a crowd of mostly black and white folks. For me, there was an upside and a downside to this. The upside was that I gained an appreciation for the role of composition and tonality in a quality image. People who labor in the wet darkroom pay attention to the subtlest tonal differences and don’t have outrageous color to mask compositional shortcomings. I left with a new standard for the importance of those qualities in color work as well. The downside was that I didn’t get to see my color portfolio through the eyes of the other students with the same degree of acuteness as I believe the B & W folks did. I would have liked some discussion about color theory and its role in how we see. However, this would not put me off from attending the workshop again. In fact, my wife and I have already said that we hope to go back next year.
As a professional trainer of trainers of adult learners, I could certainly find fault with some of the training methodologies, and make suggestions for improving the workshop. Things like asking participants in advance to identify what they most would like to get from the workshop and then checking progress with them throughout the week, or making the lecture on Creativity more interactive might have helped. Like most subject matter experts, Chuck and Dick teach in the style that they are most comfortable learning in themselves. (Think of the different learning styles of people who have Lion, Turtle, Puppy or Owl tendencies and you may get a sense of what I mean.)
One last observation. This workshop was one of those experiences that seems larger than the sum of its parts. My wife and I are still grinning and sharing stories from the trip. I don’t think that this would be possible without the deep caring that Chuck Farmer has for fine art photography, and the integrity he evidences in relationship to his craft and in his honest desire to help others along the same path.
Please contact me if you have any questions about my experience of Chuck’s workshop.
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